Prohibition+4

= Prohibition Introduction = Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment to the constitution. It stated that alcohol consumption, distributing, purchasing, or producing was illegal. During the 1920s prohibition had a large effect on society. While it was created to lower crime rate, it actually increased. __Vocab:__ =G-Men-Nick= The term "G-Man" is short for "Government Man," a phrase used to describe special agents of the U.S. government, specifically agents of the FBI. This term supposedly originated in 1933 during the arrest of the gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Kelly was unarmed, so he shouted "Don't shoot G-Men! Don't shoot G-Men!" (Sources:fofweb.com) =__**J. Edgar Hoover-Nick**__= J. Edgar Hoover was the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI. It was he who turned this organization into the modern day crime fighting government agency. He was a master of public relations, using the press to destroy many citizen's careers while keeping __his__ personal life __out__ of the presses. (Sources:fofweb.com, Life During the Roaring 20s )
 * G-men
 * speakeasy
 * bootlegger

= Eliot Ness and the Untouchables-Nick = Eliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent whos team, nicknamed "The Untouchables". They were made famous for their efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois. He and his team got their nicknamefrom a newspaper when it printed a story on how gangster Al Capone had tried and failed to bribe them. (Sources: fofweb.com, Life During the Roaring 20s )

Bootlegging was one of the landmarks of the 20's. This was the period of Prohibition, when alchohol became illegal due to the 18th amendment. These men would set up illegal distilleries in the middle of the woods, and would make their own alchohol. This alchohol was generally refered to as "White Lightning", due to the fact that it was so potent. But that wasn't all bootleggers were doing. THey were also taking cars and upgrading them to become speed demons. This led to stock car racing, which in turn led to NASCAR. When driving for a bootlegging operation, you would have to outsmart the police. Bootleggers would have to put the distilleries into caves and shacks. This would lead to alcohol that would be contaminated with animal waste, and even dead animals. It was very dangerous. (Sources: fofweb.com, google.com/images,http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/185578 )
 * __ Bootlegging- __** Jacob

=__﻿Gangsters__ Dan= The 18th amendment created a lust for alcohol. To satisfy their needs Americans would go to speakeasies, bars where alcohol would be secretly sold; hidden from the g-men. This trend in America gave criminals a chance to make a lot of money by becoming bootleggers. Gangsters would buy and produce alcohol to sell them to speakeasies. Gangsters formed gangs to make even more alcohol but this business became out of control and gangs would fight for speakeasies. Leaders of the most notorious gangs became legendary in the underground world, like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugs Moran, and Dutch Schultz. media type="youtube" key="c7oEe98slfc" height="287" width="379"

Al Capone-Dan
Al Capone was one of the most popular gangsters in the underground world. Capone used to work in New York since he was fourteen but moved to Chicago after crime boss Johnny Torrio asked Capone to join his gang. When Torrio retired Capone took over as crime boss, the total cost of Capone’s property with the money he owned added up to about one hundred million dollars. Eventually Al Capone was trialed and arrested for concealment of a weapon and tax evasion.

To learn more about gangsters and prohibition click on these two links [|here] and also [|here.]

(sources: Carey, Charles W., Jr. "Capone, Al." //American Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Business Visionaries//, American Biographies. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?  ItemID=WE52&iPin=AIE0036&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 11, 2011)

Yancey, Diane. //Life during the Roaring Twenties//. 1st ed. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, Inc., 2002. i.e., 72-75. Print.

"JAZZ AGE GANGSTERS BOOZE 1920's ." //http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7oEe98slfc//. Web. 13 Mar 2011. ﻿ "capnemug.jpg." //http://www.chicagohs.org/history/capone.html//. Web. 13 Mar 2011. )

**__St. Valentine's Day Massacre__** -David
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Widely considered the most gruesome massacre in American history, the __St. Valentine’s Day Massacre__ happened on February 14th, 1929. It occurred in Chicago, and happened as a result of the Capone gang, all though no men were proven guilty but one. It was the result of long-grown tension between the __Capone mob__ and the North Side gang organized by Dion o’ Banion. By this time, most of the North Side gang was dead except George “Bugs” Moran. It began when a gangster told Moran he had a load of alcohol, and Moran agreed to pick it up at the headquarters. When a group of seven men were found in the garage-Adam Heyer, John May, brothers Frank and Pete Gusenberg, Al Weinshank and James Clark—and Dr. Reinhardt H. Schwimmer, 5 other gangsters pulled in and shot all of them. The only thing was that Moran was not among them. He and a partner were waiting around a corner, and fled when they heard machine guns. Capone mob-Early 1900s gangster group It was a long time befo re it was decided that Capone was in charge of the killing; many people thought that it had been real police men. The local prohibition administer was found telling the press- // The murderers were not gangst //// ers. They were Chicago policemen. I believe the killing was the aftermath to the hijacking of 500 cases of whiskey belonging to the Moran gang by five policemen six weeks ago on Indianapolis Boulevard. I expect to have the names of these five p //// olicemen in a short time. It is my theory that in trying to recover the liquor the Moran gang threatened to expose the policemen and the massacre //// was to prevent the exposure. //

After Capone’s gang had been found guilty, it was a long time before action was taken.
Capone- Famous gangster behind many crimes St. Valentine's Day Massacre- Famous mass murder in Chicago caused by prohibition

Sifakis, Carl. "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre." //The Encyclopedia of American Crime//, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2001. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAC1235&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 10, 2011). King, David. // Al capone and the roaring 20s //. 1. Blackbirch press, 1999. Print.

Speakeasies-Emily The saloon of the pre-Prohibition, legal ban on alcohol imposed by the 18th amendment era were viewed as horrible because of the way the men that went there treated their wife and children, beating them and abusing them. Emerging in the 15,000 saloons places during the prohibition era were the 32,000 speakeasies, nightclubs that illagallyserved alcohol. Quickly they became known as the place to have a good time, and all though they were illegal they were viewed as a victimless crime.

Gangsters and bootleggers were really who owned the scene of the speakeasies. Bootleggers named after the way they used to stuff booze in to their boots supplied speakeasies with alcohol from other countries at ridiculous prices and became the wealthiest people in America. Many bootleggers operated through gangsters who charged even higher prices and became rich as well. Sometimes gangsters would force speakeasies to by from them. In the end costumers would have to be screened carefully at the door, pay cover charges, get watered down drinksthat cost far too much, but still have a fabulous time because the atmosphere at a speakeasy was undeniably great.

Men weren’t the only ones who had a great time at speakeasies women had a fabulous time too. After the 19th amendment women were getting new attitudes, and even though they weren’t treated equally they were treated better. Some of these women were flappers, a young women eager to try the latest fashion, dance or fad. Some speakeasies were accepting women, but they had to use a women’s entrance, and questionable women needed escorts. As more and more women came to speakeasies they helped redefine the roles gender played.

In the end the reason why prohibition failed is because of the defiance of law and the loss of money. After speakeasies became all the rage less and less people were taking prohibition seriously and that meant less and less people were taking the law seriously. When policemen came into speakeasies it became an ongoing joke because more times then not they were there to have a drink themselves. Later on more then half the federal arrests were for prohibition crimes. Another major reason the prohibition failed is because of the amount of money the government was losing. The alcohol the bootleggers were bringing in could have been taxed, and because it wasn’t they were loosing millions of dollars. In the end they made the 21st amendment canceling out the 18th amendment.

Freund, Steve. "Prohibition." In Faue, Elizabeth, and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: The Emergence of Modern America, 1900 to 1928, Revised Edition (Volume VII). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHVII212&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 10, 2011). Sifakis, Carl. "Prohibition." The Encyclopedia of American Crime, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2001. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAC1148&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 10, 2011). Streissguth, Tom. "Newfound Freedoms, Old-Fashioned Temperance: 1920." The Roaring Twenties, Eyewitness History, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=EHRTEssay03&SingleRecord=True (accessed March 10, 2011). Davidson, Dr. James W., Dr. Michael B. Stoff, and Dr. Herman J. Viola. The American Nation. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2003. 725. Print.

If you are looking for more information on speakeasies here are two sites- []

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